Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''I believe we are living in a historically embarrassing moment in American history.'' - Downbeat December 2025

The Things They Say!

This is a good opportunity to say thanks to BSH for their support of the jazz scene in the North East (and beyond) - it's no exaggeration to say that if it wasn't for them many, many fine musicians, bands and projects across a huge cross section of jazz wouldn't be getting reviewed at all, because we're in the "desolate"(!) North. (M & SSBB on F/book 23/12/24)

Postage

18061 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 1025 of them this year alone and, so far, 39 this month (Dec. 14).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Wed 17: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Spanish City, Whitley Bay. 12 noon. £29.00 (inc. bf). ‘Festive Lunch’. VCJ on stage 12 noon (three sets 'til 4:00pm).
Wed 17: Lazy River Band @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free. Veronica Perrin, Chris Perrin, John Farragher, Phil Rutherford
Wed 17: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 17: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Wed 17: A Jazzy Xmas @ Fire Station, Sunderland. 7:30pm. Paul Edis (MD, piano); Jo Harrop (vocals); Kyran Matthews (tenor sax, soprano sax); Faye Thompson (alto sax, clarinet); Sue Ferris (flute, piccolo); Graham Hardy (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jason Holcomb (trombone);Emma Fisk (violin); Andy Champion (double bass); Matt MacKellar (drums).
Wed 17: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 18: Paul Skerritt @ YOLO, Ponteland. 7:00pm. ‘Swing & Jazz Night’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 18: Joe Steels & Friends @ The Pele, Corbridge. 7:30pm. Free (donations).

Fri 19: Fraser Urquhart @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT! .
Fri 19: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00..
Fri 19: Castillo Nuevo @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:00pm. Free. .
Fri 19: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy..
Fri 19: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes. .
Fri 19: Giles Strong Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club..
Fri 19: Creakin’ Bones & the Xmas Dinners @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £13.01 (inc. bf)..
Fri 19: Mark Toomey Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 20: Jazz Attack @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 11:00am. Free.
Sat 20: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy. SOLD OUT!
Sat 20: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Sat 20: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 20: Hoodoo Blues @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:15pm (doors). £14.25, £11.55. Dance class, social dancing, live music & Xmas Party. Live music from 9:00pm - Ruth Lambert, Giles Strong, Ian Paterson & John Bradford (jazz and blues).
Sat 20: John Pope Quintet @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 7:30-8:30pm. £7.70 (inc. bf). Album recording session.

Sun 21: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. ‘Xmas Swingalong’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 21: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00-5:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ o2 City Hall, Newcastle. 6:00pm. £35.80., £33.25., £31.00.
Sun 21: The Globe Xmas Party @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Live music.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.

Mon 22: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 23: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Reviewers wanted

Whilst BSH attempts to cover as many gigs, festivals and albums as possible, to make the site even more comprehensive we need more 'boots on the ground' to cover the albums seeking review - a large percentage of which never get heard - report on gigs or just to air your views on anything jazz related. Interested? then please get in touch. Contact details are on the blog. Look forward to hearing from you. Lance

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

A Grand Night for Stinging

The long awaited Sting @ Durham Cathedral was interesting and at times quite fascinating. It is debatable if there was any jazz content apart from the cameo, non-playing appearance by his former associates from 30 plus years ago (see photo on previous post) but that didn't detract from the music which was distinctly folk-based and Northern folk at that.
For me the outstanding moments were the fiddling duels between Kathryn Tickell and her fellow fiddler whose name I didn't catch - surprise! surprise! none of the musicians were named in the credits, perhaps THAT was the jazz influence.
Sting came across as a warmer person than he sometimes does which I am sure stemmed from his return to once familiar settings but I felt his voice deserved better than a lot of the material to hand.
Still, to his credit, it's the first hour-long TV program I've stuck with until the end for many a long day. That was something the Quentin Crisp program the night previous failed to achieve!
Lance.
at

5 comments :

John T said...

I missed the first half of the prog last night. Some of your bloggers might like to see it on:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00pl1cf/Stings_Winter_Songbook/
My analogy is that Sting is a bit like Superman
Not a bird, not a plane - its Superman
Not Jazz, not Folk - its Sting

Wednesday, December 30, 2009 10:51:00 AM
Liz said...

hmm.. it didn't do much for me Lance, but then it wasn't my kinda music. I also think his voice wasn't adaptable to that sort of material. I thought his visits to his roots also his meeting with his past buddies just lent fodder to the programme. Having said all that I have always liked Sting, but somehow this didn't float my boat! I agree about the Quentin Crisp prog, I switched it off halfway through!
Liz

Wednesday, December 30, 2009 7:30:00 PM
Lance said...

Well Liz I can see where you are coming from however, for those of us who were on the scene at the time, the visits to the roots were more than mere 'fodder'. How well I remember that room in the Gosforth Hotel (not to be confused with the Gosforth Park Hotel - chalk and cheese springs to mind) and the memories it brought back.
As regards the music in the cathedral, not entirely my tastes either but once it got into its stride I found it compelling and as stated in my review, not least because of Kathryn Tickell.
It was an ambitious undertaking but, personally, I think it worked.

Thursday, December 31, 2009 6:47:00 AM
Liz said...

When I said fodder Lance it was merely an observation. It was in no way meant to lessen the impact of those early heady days. As a matter of fact those were the bits I enjoyed most, but to me they seemed almost like "fill ins" for the Cathedral stuff, when in actual fact they were a story, and a worthwhile story at that, in themselves
Liz

Thursday, December 31, 2009 11:00:00 AM
Lance said...

Couldn't agree more - it would be a worthwhile project and I seem to recall just such an idea being mooted some years ago but I don't think it ever quite took off. Maybe sometime...

Thursday, December 31, 2009 11:07:00 AM

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